Coaster rules that dont make sense

[waterviper]

I never understood why on certain coasters they have to wait till there is enough riders in the train to dispatch? Does it have to do with the weight? Its also kinda strange they have this rule because dont they test the trains empty? I mean if an empty train makes it through ok then why wait for a certain amount of people to ride? :?

 

Also why is there are no single riders in the back seat on certain coasters aswell?

 

Have always been boggled about these rules :? but never asked until now to find out!!

[DATman]

^first, because the trian will valley if it doesn't have enough ppl

 

seccond, water dummies

 

thrid-to keep the line for the back short ( i think)

[WillMontu]

On some old fashioned woodies (without seat dividers), you get thrown around in the back seat, so you must have a partner to ride such that you slam into your partnet rather than get thrown around.

Which would you rather have, no singles in the back or seat dividers?

 

Also, check out this

http://www.joyrides.com/cedar_point/blue_streak1.htm

[GAcoaster]

Often when parks require full trains to run, it's more about economics than anything. Why run an empty train (especially on a launch coaster), when each cycle costs money?

 

The 2 riders in the back seat rule (and sometimes age requirements for those riders) has to do with being witnesses in the event of a court case. On woodies especially, the restraints really can't keep determined people in their seats, so if someone tries to stand up which happens quite often from what I've seen, the people in the back seat can testify in the event of an accident or legal actions (prosecution by the park). The two people in the back seats can see the entire train.

[Carnage]

^^ Thunderbolt at Kennywood being the best example. Though it's in it's case there's no single riders period. They sometimes end up offering people double rides who will break up from their group to ride with the single rider.

 

It seems odd until you go through one of those flat turns and totally get bent over the side of the car, with the other guy crushing you into it. I can just imagine how much one of those turns would hurt if you were sitting on the right hand side alone. Probably crack a rib you'd come across that seat so far.

[Scaparri]

I never understood why on certain coasters they have to wait till there is enough riders in the train to dispatch? Does it have to do with the weight? Its also kinda strange they have this rule because dont they test the trains empty?

 

As DATman already mentioned, this often times has to do with weight...

 

I was a ride op on Millennium Force this year and in May and early June, we couldn't send the trains without near full capacity because of the temperatures. Naturally, coasters run faster in the heat because cold temperatures cause friction. Friction decreases speed. Without the extra weight in the train, it will valley. We actually had a day where we came darn close to it. And no, we do not test empty trains. They use 150 lb water dummies that must be unloaded every morning before guests get on. If you want some nice stories, ask me about my water dummy experiences sometime.

 

But yeah, it all has to do with temperature and momentum. MF actually runs over 10 seconds faster on a hot day than it does on a cold day.

[ParkTrips]

Ghost trains at SFOG.

 

::shudders::

 

Assigned seating on Laser. Don't DARE question it either. You also have to take everything in your possession on the ride with you. Mind you, this is a ride that pretty much always has 1-train operation... so I rode with my camera bag, my girlfriends multiple bags of souvenirs (which gets a on its own) and some extra clothes that we had since it was a cold day.

 

I believe the former Viper at Astroworld had a no single riders policy too.

 

I get a kick out of the rides that let you reride so long as its not in the same seat.. Thunderhead was like this, as were some others.

 

Paramount parks - you can reride, but only twice. Why twice, why not three times? Why limit it?

[waterviper]

Thanks for all the input guys!!!! Well now its no longer a mystery to me!!!

 

Ok Scott tell me about your water dummie incedent!!

[Jew]

It's all about liability.

[PKIDelirium]

Ghost trains at SFOG.

Paramount parks - you can reride, but only twice. Why twice, why not three times? Why limit it?

 

That is not enforced at PKI

[socalMAN123]

A rule I question on some coasters such as Hades at Mount Olympus is why do you have to be 18 years or older to ride in the last car?

---Brent 8)

[YoshiFan]

 

Assigned seating on Laser. Don't DARE question it either. You also have to take everything in your possession on the ride with you. Mind you, this is a ride that pretty much always has 1-train operation... so I rode with my camera bag, my girlfriends multiple bags of souvenirs (which gets a on its own) and some extra clothes that we had since it was a cold day.

 

 

I hate that rule, I was in line behind 1 group who took the front 2 rows (not that they had a choice) so I was going to choose the last seat but they made an announcement that you had to take the first available row. It doesn't make sense to me because if the line is long enough that the whole train will be filled (there were 40 - 50 people in line), then it shouldn't matter where you sit since the whole train will be filled anyway.

 

Another rule I hate at Dorney is no re-rides even if no one is in the station and/or waiting for your row. I had to go through the exit and through the queue each time I wanted a re-ride on coasters even though the trains were maybe 1/3 - 1/2 full.

[cfc]

I recall being a bit perplexed when I first rode Volcano at PKD. Riders with "loose-fitting shoes" (like sandals) were required to take the shoes off and sit on them. OK, that makes sense. But riders without shoes were not allowed onboard. Perhaps the park used to provide shoes for shoeless people to sit on.

[Carnage]

A rule I question on some coasters such as Hades at Mount Olympus is why do you have to be 18 years or older to ride in the last car?

---Brent 8)

 

It's actually Cyclops that has that rule not Hades.

 

And it's for good reason. The ride has buzzbars(single postion lap bars), and has such violent ejector air on the last drop that a 10 year old would probably be at serious risk of being ejected.

 

Honestly, I'm 6"4 and that ride scared the life out of me. It's no joke that it feels like you're going to get ripped clean out of the car.

 

Even holding on makes no difference.

[Casper]

Naturally, coasters run faster when it's warm out because objects expand in the cold (even steel and polyurethane) which causes more friction.

 

It's the other way around, objects contract when cold and expand when hot.

[WildStangAlex]

It's actually Cyclops that has that rule not Hades.

 

I believe Zeus once had that rule as well!

[Loopy]

Yeah, also consider that even if they do test with an empty train, then start operation with guests, they care alot more about a train not making it through the course once there are people on it.

 

If it did not make it with say a half train, now they are faced with a risky (somewhat risky) train evac and some very upset guests.

 

On Magnum XL200, it was easy. If the train did not make it from the initial drop to the safety brakes by 60 seconds, its time to close the ride (due to high winds).

[sbrownttd]

Whilst we were at Alton Towers earlier on in the year we virtually had Nemesis for ourselves for a few hours as the park was so dead. As one of us would reach the station if we was the only person there they would put a member of staff on the ride with us. Eventhough the train is making it round the track fine we still had to stick with this rule, I have seen staff riding nemesis on there own before so why cant the public do this?

[haux]

Assigned seating on Laser. Don't DARE question it either. You also have to take everything in your possession on the ride with you. Mind you, this is a ride that pretty much always has 1-train operation... so I rode with my camera bag, my girlfriends multiple bags of souvenirs (which gets a on its own) and some extra clothes that we had since it was a cold day.

When I rode Laser, it was absolutely dead at Dorney. The longest wait I had was after Wildwater Kingdom closed and everyone went to Steel Force. Then I only waited about five minutes. But I digress.

 

When I got my second ride on Laser, I asked the ride host if I could sit in the back. She let me but kept assigning seats to everyone else.

[ParkTrips]

I went with a local and from what he told me you got lucky. I mean, my buddy has been going to the park since Laser openeing and it wasn't until we were there in May that he got his first front row rides :-/ Glad you got to ride in the back...

 

I do have a joke to end this post: Larer's lifthill.

[Scaparri]

Naturally, coasters run faster when it's warm out because objects expand in the cold (even steel and polyurethane) which causes more friction.

 

It's the other way around, objects contract when cold and expand when hot.

 

It depends on what you are talking about. Somethings swell in the heat, but overall, objects shrink in the heat. Water for example, expands when it freezes. Completely fill a cup with water and freeze it. If your cup hasn't broke because of the expansion, then note where the top of the ice is and let it melt again. The water level will be slightly lower than where the ice was. This is assuming your cup didn't break in the first place.

 

Objects expand in the cold.

 

EDIT: I now realize this is flawed and that I had a few things mixed up.

[ParkTrips]

Water is a bad example, its a very unique case because its one of the few things on this planet that are more dense as a liquid than as a solid (hence thats why Ice floats on water). He's right though, most of the time when things heat up they expand, and when the cool down they contract, basically because the individual molecules are moving faster/slower (depending on which condition your in). I see your logic, but you just happened to pick a funky case!!

 

- Joe, who hates Chemistry anyways

[Scaparri]

Alright, I'll suck it up and take the embarrassment of having no idea what I'm talking about.

 

Nevertheless, cold causes friction, which causes the trains to slow down.

[Cerberus]

Naturally, coasters run faster when it's warm out because objects expand in the cold (even steel and polyurethane) which causes more friction....

It depends on what you are talking about.... Objects expand in the cold.....

 

I can only think of water that expands due to reduced temperature, and that is not for the same reason that other materials change.

 

Heat increases the movement of the atomic structure of a material which makes it expand. I'm not sure where you were told otherwise.

 

Heat just makes things run smoother. Like heating treacle (Oil and lubrication) or racing cars doing 'warm up' laps (Softening the wheel rubber)

 

 

Coaster rules that don't make sense? Hmmm..

 

Signs that indicate "No Standing up" on rides where the restraints make it absolutely imposible to stand up.

And signs that say you can't put your hands in the air.

 

Cerberus

 

Edit: Beaten like an unwanted child

[ParkTrips]

Alright, I'll suck it up and take the embarrassment of having no idea what I'm talking about.

hey that's ok I can see where you're coming from!

 

Nevertheless, cold causes friction, which causes the trains to slow down.

Very true.